At 5 feet 6 inches, Thoi Singh may lack a strong physical side of a footballer but his ball-winning qualities make him one of the key figures in the midfield and that was one of the reasons why Chennaiyin FC paid more than double the base price of Rs 39 lakh for him.
Chennaiyin splashed Rs. 86 lakh to get the diminutive midfielder sign on the dotted line for the franchise in the Indian Super League’s (ISL) auction in July early this year.
With Chennaiyin all set to kick off their season on Saturday against Atletico de Kolkata, Thoi said that price tag does not affect him and he is raring to kick off his ISL career.
"Even before the start of the auction, each of us who were part of the auction were clear about one thing: the price is irrelevant. We were just waiting with excitement to know which team will pick us and I was delighted to be picked up by Chennaiyin FC, who were one of the best performers last year," Singh told IBNLive.
"I am raring to go and ready to make my debut and leave a mark in the team. Hopefully, I will perform up to the expectations and we will get off to a winning start," he added.
The short-statured midfielder, who missed the inaugural season of the ISL, keenly awaits getting onto the pitch in the cash-rich event that kicks off on Saturday here with an opening encounter between defending champions Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC.
"It is a great platform for Indian players. It was a great spectacle last year and I think it will be even better this time. I can’t wait for the first game," the Manipuri said.
Chennaiyin were easily the best team in the ISL in the league stages last season. Managed by Marco Materazzi with Elano as marquee player, they will once again be looking for a good season and the 24-year-old from the Thoubal district in Manipur said that it's like a dream to share the same dressing room as these two.
"I still can't believe that players like Elano Blumer are my team-mates and the legendary Marco Materazzi is my head coach. But everybody is very down to earth, so I feel at home at Chennaiyin FC. We are one happy family," he said.
In pre-season, Chennaiyin's training base was Stadio Ellera in Corciano, Perugia. The table toppers in the league stage of ISL last year played four practice games against local club sides during their stay in Italy.
They defeated Ortana 2-0 and ASD San Donato Tavarnelle 5-1, but lost 2-1 to Gualdo Casacastalda and 2-0 against Unione Sportiva Arezzo. When asked how important was pre-season ahead of the tournament, Singh said Chennaiyin FC have the squad to be successful this year.
"The pre-season in Italy went very well for us. We worked on building an understanding both on and off the pitch. Each of us worked very hard on our fitness and of course we got to play four matches against tough Italian opposition. We definitely have the squad to be successful this year," he concluded.
Comments
0 comment